Gordon Gee: Bowl ban was coming ?no matter what?
By Pat Brennan
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Published: Sunday, February 19, 2012
Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee disagrees with the penalties that were administered to the university's football program for NCAA rules infractions and seems to think the NCAA tried to make an example of OSU.
During a Feb. 6 meeting with The Lantern, Gee said he believed the NCAA-administered one-year bowl ban and reduction of nine scholarships for infractions dating back to OSU's 2010 season were dealt to the Buckeyes because "this was Ohio State." A college sports lawyer and a former OSU football coach disagree with the punishments assessed to the program, but wouldn't join Gee in saying the NCAA tried to make an example of the Buckeyes.
During the 2010 football season, former OSU coach Jim Tressel failed to report infractions six of his players committed. Buckeyes' wide receiver DeVier Posey, left tackle Mike Adams, quarterback Terrelle Pryor, running back Daniel "Boom" Herron and defensive end Solomon Thomas each received a five-game suspension in 2011 for selling OSU football memorabilia in exchange for improper benefits in the form of tattoos. Linebacker Jordan Whiting received a one-game ban.
The players finished the season and helped the Buckeyes to a 12-1 record that ended with a 31-26 win against Arkansas in the 2011 Sugar Bowl. The season was later vacated as part of the university's self-imposed penalties and the $388,811 of winnings it took from the Sugar Bowl win was donated to charity on Aug. 15.
On Dec. 20, the NCAA announced its penalties for OSU football. Months later, Gee told The Lantern he still disagrees with the NCAA's ruling.
"First of all, the NCAA ? if we would have given up five bowl games, they would have imposed the sixth on us because they were going to impose a bowl ban. This was Ohio State. This was (the NCAA's) moment in time, and they were going to impose a bowl ban no matter what we did."
Gee, who focused his comments mostly on the bowl ban and not the reduction of nine scholarships over the next three seasons, said the university's communicative efforts with the NCAA indicate that OSU has been and continues to be "overly compliant in some ways."
"I'm a lawyer," Gee said. "I take a look at precedent. There's no precedent for a bowl ban for us."
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